*RE-POST* Rivals Basketball Countdown: #14 Michigan

Submitted by MH20 on

Rivals has been a countdown of all 347 teams in D1 hoops, and today is #14, none other than Michigan.

John Beilein returns four starters this season at Michigan, and the Wolverines have their sights set on a deep March run. There are still concerns in the frontcourt, but Beilein has the guards he needs to get his system running smoothly.

Rivals Preseason Countdown: #14 Michigan

Edit: Sorry, this is a re-post. Beaten by 20 minutes.

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/rivals-college-basketball-preseason-countdo…

MichiganStudent

October 23rd, 2009 at 10:51 AM ^

I grew up hating basketball, not sure if it had to do with my rock hands and inability to dribble left or Michigans Fab Five scandal, but over the past 2 seasons I have really taken to Beilein and his teams. I have found myself to be very interested in the BBall team and follow it almost as closely as I do hockey.

I truly think its amazing how Beilein has transformed this program and brought it back up from the dark hole it was in. Amazing hire, and an amazing job by Beilein. Can't wait for the home opener.

Go Blue!

PS. This does not change the way I feel about the NBA. That league actually does suck.

MH20

October 23rd, 2009 at 11:03 AM ^

As a kid, I absolutely loved basketball. I pretended I was Joe Dumars and would play basically every day, even in the winter. I would shovel under the basket and shoot for hours in the snow. I loved the NBA.

But now, man, I don't know. I haven't hit rock-bottom yet with my level of caring for the league, but it's damn close. But my passion for college hoops is at an all-time high, and it's because of guys like Beilein, Tom Crean (his IU grandstanding aside), and Jamie Dixon. They are class acts and do things the "right" way. Though that line continues to be blurred by more and more programs, I have full faith that John Beilein is not one of those guys, and has this program headed for big things.

I'm already counting down 'til the day that single-game tickets go on sale. I am jumping on that UCONN game and hoping I can get tickets to the MSU game (middle of the week game be damned!).

turbo cool

October 23rd, 2009 at 11:26 AM ^

have you guys been watching the nba the last 2-3 years? the on-court product has gotten a lot better and the players are much more professional than they had been before. Honestly, not since the Jordan era has the NBA been so much fun to watch. There are a lot of great players and some very, very good teams.

turbo cool

October 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 PM ^

I hear ya but that same criticism can be applied to the NFL. Look at how guys like Brady, the Mannings, really any QB are given preferential treatment. A defense is never given the benefit of doubt in any call. Also, how many times have you heard about Favre this year? He's doing okay but his numbers are very similar to what he had with the Jets. There has been little mention of the rest of the team compared to how much publicity he gets.

I just think the nba has a bad reputation that isn't currently warranted. The majority of criticism i've heard on the nba has been from friends who don't even watch the games.

mad magician

October 23rd, 2009 at 12:18 PM ^

FAIL for lazy, outmoded NBA criticism

A basketball team has five players on the court at a time-- why shouldn't a team be built around the strength of one player, especially when that player is as awesome as Kobe or Lebron? It certainly allows for more individuality than a league of robots like the NFL, where with the exception of a handful of players, anyone is replaceable. As for Orlando being "Team Howard", Dwight was probably the third best player on his team in the playoffs, behind Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.

There has in fact been a renaissance of NBA talent this decade. Chris Paul, Carmelo, Dwayne Wade, etc. To say those guys 'don't care' is to completely ignore the desire and drive to win championships that possesses the Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Steve Nash.

akearney50

October 23rd, 2009 at 12:30 PM ^

I agree with everything you said except one thing. Dwight Howard was the best player on that team. Much like Kevin Garnett was the best player on the Celtics the year before. Just because they ball didn't go through their hands on every possession/late second scenarios doesn't mean they didn't affect every possession. What those two guys did defensively for those two teams was what got them to the finals.....Rashard Lewis, while being a very good basketball, is extremely overpaid.